By TUNDE THOMAS, VINCENT KALU, HENRY OKONKWO, and LAWRENCE ENYOGHASU

Eminent Nigerians who have made marks in their fields, especially in law and politics have demanded for an independent probe into allegations of bribery to pervert justice, made against two prominent ministers by two Supreme Court Justices following the raid on their homes by DSS operatives.
Barely days after Justice Inyang Okoro accused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, of seeking to manipulate governorship election court cases in favour of the ruling APC, another judge on Thursday leaked a letter in which similar allegations were made against the minister and another of his colleague in the Buhari cabinet.
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, also of the Supreme Court, accused Amaechi of attempting to manipulate him to rule in favour of the APC in an election dispute.
Messrs. Okoro and Ungwuta, are the most senior among the seven judges arrested about a fortnight ago for alleged corruption by the DSS. All the arrested judges were later released on bail.
Like. Okoro, Justice Ngwuta also addressed his letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, where he made the damning allegations. In the letter, Mr. Ungwuta narrated his version of how he was arrested by DSS officials, accusing the agency of “planting huge sums of money” in his house when it was searched.
Apart from accusing Mr. Amaechi of plotting to manipulate him to rule in favour of the APC in the Ekiti election dispute, Mr. Ngwuta also accused the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, of also seeking his help to manipulate an election hearing. Mr. Amaechi had earlier denied the charges by Justice Okoro, just as he has also denied Mr. Ngwuta’s allegations, describing it as “unadulterated fallacy”.
None of the two judges provided any reasons, in their separate letters to the CJN, why they did not report the allegations to law enforcement agencies before their arrest for corruption about a fortnight ago. Nigerians spoken to on the raging controversy agreed on the need for a further investigation of the allegations to determine their veracity.

Amaechi fights back
Amaechi had in a statement late Thursday denied the allegations by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta that he attempted to bribe him in order to swing the governorship election appeals in Ekiti, Rivers and Ebonyi states in the favour of APC.
Ngwuta, had in his letter alleged that Amaechi and the Minister of Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, approached him to help some members of the ruling party win the governorship election appeals in those states. He also alleged that Amaechi begged him to facilitate the removal of Ayodele Fayose as Governor of Ekiti State.
However, Amaechi in his response dismissed the allegations as “pure fiction”, saying the allegations were fabricated to “politically destroy his image and reputation”.
He also revealed that he is in talks with his lawyers and will explore channels to seek redress for the “gross defamation against his character.”
According to the statement “The Hon. Justice Ngwuta’s allegation as it concerns Amaechi is nothing but pure fiction, a dubious diversionary tale concocted to muddle the very serious issues of his arrest and investigation by the Department of State Services (DSS).
“For emphasis, we want to state categorically that Amaechi did not and has never tried to lobby, induce or make the Hon. Justice Ngwuta to influence the outcome of any matter before the Supreme Court or any other court. The Hon. Justice Ngwuta’s narrative as it concerns Amaechi is simply not true, an unadulterated fallacy design to deceive and distract from the real issues of DSS investigation of acts of corruption against him.
“It’s indeed very sad and most unfortunate that the Hon. Justice Ngwuta had decided to drag the name of the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), into his fabricated allegations. Again, We make bold to state that Amaechi did not and has never lobbied, approached or attempted to make the CJN or any other Justice of the apex court to influence the Supreme Court judgment on the Rivers State and Ekiti State Governorship Elections petition appeals or any other matter before the apex court or any other court.
“Within a space of 48 hours, we have observed a carefully planned and coordinated political attempt to drag Amaechi into the DSS arrest and investigation of judges in Nigeria. The aim of the plot is two-fold: to smear and politically destroy the image and reputation of Amaechi, and deceitfully portray him as the person behind the arrest of judges. This is indeed most ridiculous and callous.
“We are aware of a well timed, heavily funded plot to “take out” Amaechi politically, and it appears that Justice Ngwuta and Justice Inyang Okoro (of the Supreme Court, who had also made similar made-up allegations against Amaechi), have wittingly or unwittingly been conscripted into this devious politics of “destroy Amaechi by all means.”
Amaechi is not and cannot be behind the arrest and investigation of the Hon. Justice Ngwuta. He should kindly leave Amaechi alone and face the issues he has with the DSS. Amaechi is talking with his lawyers and will explore lawful channels to seek redress for this gross defamation against his character and person.”

Eminent Nigerians speak
For former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, the unfolding development is a sad reflection of the extent to which the nation has degenerated. According to him, it is  very unfortunate, the kind of stories that keep coming out of government circle almost on a daily basis.
While saying that the personalities involved and names being mentioned in the bribery allegations and counter-allegations are eminent citizens that are supposed to be role models, Abubakar said something needs to be done to restore the  fading dignity of the nation called Nigeria.
According to him ‘’My heart bleeds a lot when I hear these kinds of allegations and counter allegations, especially when it involves people that are supposed to be role models. It’s sad and sickening when you hear or read about  allegations against some judges. The same goes for our elected public office holders of today. You hear cases of corruption and other vices being linked to them, it is very sad. This is not the type of nation envisaged by the founding fathers of Nigeria. What I will however, say on these judges and Amaechi  allegations and counter-allegations is that thorough investigations should be carried out.  None of the parties involved should be treated like  a sacred cow. I believe that if this is done, the whole truth about the case would be known in due course.”
In his own view , Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, ex-Commissioner Of Police, “the two judges, Okoro and Ngwutta were just looking for an  opportunity to  rope in another person. According to him: ’’I’m not saying that Amaechi is a saint, but why are these judges just waking up to blow the whistle on Amaechi. That simply means that if they had not been caught, they would not have brought Amaechi’s name to the public domain. These two judges should be investigated thoroughly. Meanwhile all the judges involved in the DSS sting  raid should be asked to step aside. They should be suspended until they conclude their cases. Amaechi even though has denied allegations from both judges but that doesn’t stop him from being interrogated or invited to state his own side of the story.”
For Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, an elder statesman, the two judges have disappointed the entire nation, and their own immediate constituency, the judiciary.
Describing the discovery of huge sums of money in different foreign denominations in the residences of the judges as  a national embarrassment, Gbonigi said; ‘’I think the judges should first clear their names. What are they doing with such huge sums of money in local and foreign denominations in their homes? Are they businessmen or contractors? It is their fundamental right to also cry out about Amaechi, but they would have done this nation a lot of good if they had cried out over Amaechi before now. Most people would think that they just want to drag others down with them as they have now been exposed. Let the judges answer allegations against them first. They should not distract Nigerians. It should be turn by turn, after them Amaechi should also be invited for questioning, and also investigated. Corruption has done a lot of damage to this nation, it is time we take the bull by the horn in tackling this menace’’.

Olisa Agbakoba, ex-NBA president
There are a number of interconnected issues. First is that nobody condones corruption, and Nigerian Bar Association does not  condone corruption. In every sector you would find corruption. Part of the problem is how to deal with it.
The problem with the allegations by these judges and Amaechi’s reply is that, in the days when my father was a chief judge, we didn’t entertain clients or visitors in the house.
The question is, what was Amaechi doing in Justice Okoro’s house? He has opened himself to many possibilities. If it was true that Amaechi came, why didn’t he report at the appropriate time? Why wait till this time? For me, it is a challenge, but let us also be clear, the political class puts so much pressure on the judges. These judges are extremely poor. Justice Adekeye after 45 years on the bench retired without a house. Justice Niki Tobi after 50 years on the bench died a pauper; living in the worst part of Abuja, blind and demented. There are so many judges who have gone to their graves because of lack of fund. So, there is temptation. The judge who was reprimanded for taking money because his mother was on kidney dialysis, if he had approached me as at the time he approached other lawyers over his mother’s situation, I would have given him money and then see who would accuse me of corruption. His mother later died.
Judges are also helpless. It is important when you talk about corruption in the Judiciary, you also look at some of the reasons behind it. The Judiciary is underfunded. Col Sambo Dasuki as the National Security Adviser had about N94 billion assigned to his office, while the entire Judiciary has N60 billion. It is better to understand how judges work, but that is not to excuse them from accusations of corruption. It is important that the media begins to ask questions on how judges work. A minister has about 20 aides, but a judge has about one or two, he has to write long hands, and sometimes without electricity. He is poorly paid. The Chief Justice of Nigeria has take home pay of barely about N2 million, a judge of High Court in England is paid about 500,000 pounds in a year for life. Once you become a judge in England, it means your life has been taken care of and that is why they work hard to become judges. For me after 40 years at the bar, I don’t have reason to be going to court; I have over grown that, I should be on the bench, as it was in the days of old, but you go to bench and you are poorly paid that is why nobody wants to go. Anybody who denies the role of money in life is a joker.

Dr. Chukwudife Ezeife, former Anambra governor
It is obvious, and any person who is a Nigerian knows what is happening in this case. It appears that where the government doesn’t have its way, it resorts to punishment. That seems to be the direction. Something happened in Edo State, where APC was not expected to win a council seat as of now, but how they managed to win Edo, may be is the reason for this thing that is being done now so that the judge that will deal with the Edo election is cowed.
It is the greatest danger to our democracy because the other two arms of government – Executive and the Legislature have been compromised and now the Judiciary.
I’m not in support of the Judiciary being corrupt. In fact, in the past one year, I have been addressing them as my, “Lord Injustices” instead of my Lord Justices, because of the way they deal with election petitions, where you see or hear huge sums of money exchanging hands and forcing them to do what they should do. I’m worried. The pursuit of the anti-corruption war must be fair.

Alhaji Dauda Birma, ex- minister and ANPP presidential aspirant
Why didn’t they say so before their homes were raided? People would want to blame their shortcomings on others. Before this time, we never heard of Amaechi, Onu or anybody.
Is there anything that these judges are doing that Nigerians don’t know? It is not our ways to start talking about them. We know all about these judges, so when nemesis catches up with them, they start looking for somebody to blame.
They gave justice to the highest bidder. How do you see the perpetual injunction in favour of Peter Odili? Now, it is the time for the judges to face the music, do you expect Nigerians to be sympathetic to them? I have seen a lot in the judiciary. We are bequeathing a future without hope to our children. They have made justice for the rich. It is go and bring this or that, at times, they may ask you to go and write the judgment and bring.

Dr. Dozie Ikedife, ex-Ohanaeze president
We should dispassionately handle these allegations without minimum prejudice and malice to get to the bottom of the whole matter. The ordinary folks are hoping on the judiciary. If the judiciary disappoints them, it will be a total disappointment.
The way things are coming up, it means the Judiciary requires a little bit of shaking up. The question is who guards the guard? If we go to the bottom foundation of honesty, democracy, judiciary impartiality, and veracity of media reports, the right thing should be done, but should be done rightly.

Dr. Tanko Yunusa- Chairman, National Conscience Party.
Let’s be frank, corruption is one issue that completely upsets us. But we don’t want a fight of corruption that is selective. It would spell danger for Nigeria. So, we must be careful. What we have is a scenario where those in government that claim to be fighting corruption, are themselves immersed into some forms‑ of corruption. How do you explain a president that borrowed money to purchase presidential form, getting corrupt moneybags to spend hundreds of millions during his election campaigns? We all know that if this war on corruption is painstakingly done, many of the powerful people in this government would be affected.

Yinka Odumakin, Afenifer spokesman
The Nigerian public should not be taken for a ride. These are very serious allegations. We should get to the root of these allegations. Amaechi and Ogbonnaya Onu and these judges making these allegations should step aside, and we should set a National and Open inquiry to get to the bottom of these allegations, otherwise our anti-corruption fight will be a mere lip service.